Strong Will

Charlotte's pov 

I tightened my hold on the duffel bag I was holding, neither of them asked why I was wearing mismatched shoes. 

None of them were curious why my eyes were red and swollen.

Not a single soul wanted to know why I looked like the entire world had collapsed on my head. 

I had taken one step back into this Villa and immediately everything was about Cecilia. 

If I didn't have anywhere else to go, I would have just left right now. 

“I need to rest,” I said walking past the two of them without regarding their worries just like how they had disregarded mine. None of them even wanted to know why I had showed up in the middle of the night looking like this, I don't know what I had expected. 

Maybe some care, concern? Anything really. 

Cecilia stepped in front of me before I could also walk past her too.

“Not even a hug for your big sister? Char, breaking my heart,” she said, placing her palms dramatically on her chest. I was now openly glaring at her and her smile was getting bigger, she leaned close, lowering her voice so only I could hear. 

“Come on, we all knew you guys weren't going to work out…but tell me, how did it feel being my stand in for 10 good years?”

She pulled away, the smile on her face unweavering. 

I was now trembling all over with rage.

“What exactly is wrong with you?” I spat at her.

She shrugged.

“It's not my fault men gravity towards me, honestly if you ask me the  attention can be a bit annoying sometimes,” 

That lump was back in my throat again, just like those days I saw Jacob and other boys running after Cecilia like lost puppies who had finally found their mom.

Yesterday's trash got better treatment than them, and yet they wouldn't stop running after her. 

Now even Hayden Maxwell was in her net?

I had heard of him a couple of times, you'd have to be living under a rock not to know one of the most influential men in the country. The CEO of Maxwell Industries, thought that a man who lacked in nothing from looks to wealth was dying over my nonchalant twin.

With the need to protect what was left of my pride I said ignoring my parents who were still wailing in the background.

“Actually, I was the one that ended things with him. Not the way you're assuming it. He was begging me to stay but I refused. What can I say? 10 years is a long time and I got bored of him,” I was using all the skills I had learned during a school play in the fourth grade and I had no idea if I was selling it. 

“Is that so?” For a moment Cecilia's eyebrows met and then they straightened back into their elegant shape.

She raised up one manicured finger.

“You know what? Let me confirm that…” 

She started dialing a number, as she did so my father walked over to me. 

“Charlotte, are you ignoring your parents? Nobody is going to even dream of working with us if we make an enemy of Hayden Maxwell,” it was only because I didn't have anywhere else to go that I couldn't tell my father straight to his face that I couldn't care any less. 

“Hi, J boo…” 

Everything slowed down for a moment, that was her cringey nickname for Jacob. Certainly he wouldn't speak to her tonight on our anniversary just after I told him.

“Cecilia…is it really you? I can't believe you unblocked my number…” he had no idea that I was standing just a foot away as he continued to humiliate me, “Charlotte was always nagging me to change this number, but I never agreed because I knew that one day you'd call me…what do you need?” He said like a really lap dog. 

At this point I wouldn't even mind the ground opening up to swallow me.

Cecilia could see the pain on my face like someone was Slash in my heart with a blunt  knife but she continued because that was the kind of sadist she was. 

“I just felt like it, look J boo I'm bored. Just broke up a serious relationship and I need a good friend to help me through. Can you come pick me up?” 

“I'll be there on 15-No! 10 minutes,” she gasped, pretending to be surprised while I was pretending to still be sane. 

“But J boo,  isn't today your anniversary? Maybe we can see tomorrow instead–”

“No, Charlotte is already asleep, I'll come pick you up, why don't we stop by your favorite bakery? I know they still open late. Then we'll go to dinner and–”

“Just end the call!” I screamed at the top of my voice, “You win! alright?! You always win! Are you happy?” 

There was the longest deepest silence that even our parents didn't interrupt, then Jacob even after recognizing my voice responded by saying. 

“Cecilia, can I still come pick you up?” I abandoned my duffel bag and ran up to my room, I looked around and saw that everything I had was gone. The chest where I stored my childhood toys, the boy band posters that have been signed on the wall and it didn't even look like a bedroom anymore. 

“We didn't think you were coming back,” mother said behind me, her tone closer to an apology than it had ever been, “we wanted to make something like a walk-in closet for your sister since your rooms were side by side,” that explains why the other thing I could see were clothes, shoes and to the furnishings to  accommodate them.

“Then  what about MY things?”

“There are  in the basement right now,” she replied, “at least some of them are,” she came towards me holding me by my shoulders. “Look, Charlotte none of that matters right now, our company is about to go under we had been relying on your sister getting married to a billionaire husband to fix everything but now that she says she doesn't want to have him because he has been crippled by an accident we can't just stand by and lose everything we have…” she know what her voice, “please, why don't you marry him instead?”